The whirlwind week of #lovelittlerock started when Millie Ward got a call from Little Rock Regional Chamber's Jay Chesshir, who thought that while 238 cities were pitching to land Amazon, Little Rock could make some noise by saying no.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola says the city will not submit a bid to be home to Amazon's second North American headquarters. Instead, it has used the occasion to launch a promotional campaign called "Love, Little Rock."

I’m not so bold as to believe that Little Rock will be a top contender for Amazon, even though we are certainly worthy of consideration. It’s only because Amazon was very specific about the needs for its next location — things we don’t have right now. But I get Mayor Mark Stodola’s reasoning. Dreaming big is important.

Bank of the Ozarks Inc. of Little Rock, which has been planning a new headquarters in west Little Rock, joined Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola to formally announce those plans, including a timeline for construction and completion.

Mayor Mark Stodola wants Little Rock to be a candidate for the location of Amazon’s second headquarters, and assuming the expense isn’t ridiculous, we can’t see the harm. And who knows? Some good might come from it.

The shooting at a Little Rock nightclub has elevated what had been a local issue into a state concern. But Arkansas' governor and lawmakers are likely to find what City Hall already knew: there's no simple answer.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, in partnership with the private, nonpartisan Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Venture Center in Little Rock, will hold the city’s first Mayor’s Summit on Entrepreneurship July 21-22.